Rebecca Stevenson, a solid 5-11 post player, led all scorers with 17 points and was the Hawks’ go-to person in the second half as River Ridge improved its Evergreen Conference positioning with a 53-39 win over the Rams.
River Ridge coach Jackie Robinson said Friday was Stevenson’s best game.
“The girls did a good job of getting it in to her,” Robinson said. “And she rewarded them by making the shots.”
Stevenson had ample help from the dynamic twosome of Necy Wade and Kyahri Adams, who had 15 points apiece and did the most to disrupt an out-of-sync North Thurston team.
“We couldn’t get anything going,” North Thurston coach Mike Harn said. “It was just not our night.”
It might have been expected that River Ridge and North Thurston would play it tight till the end. The two in-district rivals met Jan. 12 at River Ridge, with North Thurston winning a close one, 45-42.
The rematch at North Thurston on Friday was also tightly contested with even higher stakes: second place (or more) in the Evergreen Conference and seeding to the district tournament.
North Thurston, led by Chelsey Kindle’s solid work in the post, led 11-10 after a frenetic first quarter.
The Rams built a 17-13 lead late in the first half with six straight points by Kindle, Catie Mets and Haley Harn. But the Hawks came back with a 7-0 run of their own on a three-pointer by Wade, a short jumper by Catriece Baker and a put-back by Rebecca Stevenson to lead 20-17 at the break.
In the second half, River Ridge asserted itself on the boards and on the floor, and North Thurston never found a consistent rhythm on offense. The duo of Wade and Adams shared 13 of the Hawks’ 20 third-quarter points, helping the lead bloom to 40-28.
Wade drained a trey to start the fourth quarter, putting the Rams in an even deeper hole.
The Hawks’ Stevenson made sure they stayed buried. She banked home three straight baskets down low, the third one on a power move while being fouled.
She had 12 points in the final period, including a play that brought the crowd to its feet when she safely corralled a rebound while on her back, and passed it to a teammate.
River Ridge can claim the only defeat of first-place W.F. West, which was 16-1 overall and 8-1 in the EvCo heading into a Friday game against its winless Lewis County rival, Centralia.
The Hawks (13-5, 9-2 in conference), moved closer to claiming one of the top two seeds and earning a home game Feb. 10 in the first round of the Class 2A District IV tournament. The Hawks finish the regular season at Aberdeen next Tuesday.
Robinson said his team’s prior loss at home to North Thurston was a motivating factor Friday.
“When you lose to team,” he said, “it’s a good test to see what you learned.”
North Thurston fell to 1-4 and 8-3, and closes the regular season tonight at Aberdeen. The Rams have secured at least the No. 3 North district seed.
Catie Mets led North Thurston, which was shot a meek 17 of 58, with 11 points. Kindle added 10.
“They never gave up,” Harn said. “They battled to the very end.”
